Office Depot Helps Thousands of Students and Teachers ‘Go Back to School Proud’ This Year

October 1, 2018

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 1, 2018--Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODP), a leading omnichannel provider of business services and supplies, products and technology solutions, helped thousands of students, parents and teachers go “Back to School Proud” this year through its newest philanthropic program, Start Proud!™. The Start Proud! program was created to make a substantial difference in the lives of deserving students, parents and teachers at Title I schools across the country by ensuring they receive the supplies they need to succeed.

Office Depot associates hosted backpack bundling bashes in local markets where they filled 20,000 backpacks, valued collectively at over $1 million, with back-to-school essentials like notebooks, folders, pencils and glue. The backpacks were distributed to students at the beginning of the 2018 school year during ten celebratory assemblies nationwide. The initiative kicked off in Atlanta on Aug. 3 and continued with visits in San Francisco, Austin, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Chicago and across Office Depot’s hometown state of Florida.

Office Depot, in partnership with Boise Paper and Domtar Paper, also provided pallets of school supplies to teachers at each of the ten schools. In addition, one “All-Star” educator was recognized at each Start Proud! assembly with approximately $1,000 worth of premium supplies including computers and classroom furniture, to celebrate their extraordinary efforts in the classroom.

“At Office Depot, we are committed to supporting education by providing supplies to schools and teachers, and by giving students the tools they need to feel prepared, confident and proud as they begin the new school year,” said Jerri DeVard, executive vice president and chief customer officer for Office Depot, Inc. “Giving back to local schools has been a cornerstone of our 30-year investment to advance education. The Start Proud! initiative is a natural evolution to our focus of positively impacting students and teachers.”

Office Depot’s School Supply Drive: This summer through Sept. 29, customers were provided with the opportunity to give back to local Title I schools by purchasing extra supplies and placing them in collection boxes in their neighborhood Office Depot and OfficeMax retail stores. Through this initiative, over 1,000 schools were designated by Office Depot to receive the collected school supplies.
Give Back to Schools Program: Through Office Depot’s Give Back to Schools program, customers are able to help the Pre-K through 12th grade school of their choice earn 5% back in credits by making qualifying purchases 1 online at OfficeDepot.com, in-store and by phone at 1-800-GO-DEPOT (800-463-3768) and providing the school’s name or ID number at checkout. Office Depot has issued more than $30 million in credits over the years through this program, which helps to support local schools all year long.

Additionally, Office Depot recently teamed up with the National PTA for the start of the school year and beyond. As a Proud National Sponsor, Office Depot will help to fuel key programs and initiatives to further family engagement, strengthen family-school partnerships and share relevant resources.

For more details, visit an Office Depot or OfficeMax retail location near you, download the Office Depot app or find us online at officedepot.com.

About Office Depot, Inc.

Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODP) is a leading provider of business services and supplies, products and technology solutions through its fully integrated omni-channel platform of approximately 1,400 stores, online presence, and dedicated sales professionals and technicians to small, medium and enterprise businesses. Through its banner brands Office Depot®, OfficeMax®, CompuCom® and Grand&Toy®, the company offers its customers the tools and resources they need to focus on their passion of starting, growing and running their business. For more information, visit officedepot.com, download the Office Depot app on your iPhone or Android and follow @officedepot on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

1 Qualifying purchases exclude technology and consumer electronic products and accessories, media and software that is not education or reference related; furniture and furniture accessories; ink and toner; gift and prepaid cards; postage stamps and purchase from print and copy centers; and purchases made to contract business accounts and by resellers. Visit OfficeDepot.com/givebts for details.